Republican lawmakers are up in arms after a watchdog revealed Wednesday that dealing with the IRS could soon become even more difficult.
The Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the IRS, said the agency’s plan to transform the way it interacts with taxpayers could prove to be largely problematic in its annual report to Congress
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam said they found the IRS’s plan, which is projected to strongly limit in-person and phone interactions, troubling.
“When Americans contact the IRS, they need serious help – not another layer of bureaucracy. This comprehensive report highlights significant problems taxpayers face when dealing with the IRS and raises serious questions about the agency’s commitment to making it easier for people to do their taxes,” Brady said in a statement. “IRS employees’ main priority should be to deliver excellent customer service to hardworking taxpayers who fund our government and pay their salaries.”
Roskam, who pointed out that even IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said the agency’s performance has been poor, said he is concerned about issues found with the agency’s process for granting organizations non-profit status and shortcomings in its fraud prevention systems.
“More work must be done to give the American people confidence their taxes are being assessed fairly. More work must be done to streamline and reform IRS operations so taxpayers can receive the help they need to pay their taxes correctly and without undue bureaucratic hassle,” the Illinois Republican said in a statement. “‘Abysmal’ service is simply unacceptable.”
The congressmen also took issue with the agency’s consideration of adding additional user fees without looking into possible repercussions.
The watchdog said the IRS should update its Internal Revenue Manual so departments can avoid implimenting fees that would significantly impact taxpayer burdens.
“The IRS should avoid fees that discourage taxpayers from using services that further its mission, reduce voluntary compliance, or erode taxpayer rights,” National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson wrote in the report. “It should estimate the effects of any proposed fee, publish its analysis along with a detailed explanation showing the basis for it, and only implement the fee after it revises its proposal to address comments from stakeholders and to avoid such negative effects.”
The lawmakers said they plan on conducting extensive oversight into the agency in coming months.
“I applaud the National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina Olson, and her team, for their tireless work to stand up for taxpayers’ rights and demand excellence from an IRS plagued by mismanagement and abuse,” Roskam said in the statement.
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